No Turning Back
by Florida's Firefly
Summary: CHAPTER 5 IS FINALLY UP! Rated PG for some scary and mystical stuff, also death. A terrible tradgedy causes Nemo to go on the journey of his life.
1. Nemo's Temptation

I know I've got a lot to catch up on, but THIS one I got excited about. Just read it. I think you'd like it too. ^^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Nemo. Pixar does. Also, SOME OF THESE CHAPTERS WILL BE VERY MUCH LIKE SCENES FROM LBT (LAND BEFORE TIME) I DO NOT OWN LBT, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS DOES. IT IS AN AMAZING MOVIE AND I RESPECT AND ENJOY IT ENOUGH TO SAY THAT IT HAS INSPIRED ME TO WRITE THIS FN FANFICTION.  
  
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Chap 1: Nemo's Temptation  
  
Nemo poked his head out of the anemone cautiously and looked around. "Dad?" he called out. For some reason, his dad wasn't at home after Dory had picked him up and school and dropped him off at home. Confused, he swam out of the anemone and called again. "Dad??"  
  
He soon found himself swimming around the neighborhood, searching for Marlin. The strange thing was fish were staring at him in an odd manner. Their gazes fixed on him, their eyes flashing with a sort of suspicion. Even some of the fish that Nemo knew were doing the same before they turned and went back to their own business. A few gave such deep glances that Nemo shuddered and quickened his pace.  
  
Along the way, he stopped and swim up to others. "Hey!" he said. "Have you seen my dad, Marlin?" The fish simply shrugged and shook their heads.  
  
Nemo continued searching and asking for several minutes. Then, just when he was about to give up thinking anyone would help him, he spotted his three school friends not far away. Surely they would help him. They had to.  
  
"Guys!!" he called and rushed up to them, now panting from swimming around so much. "H-Have you seen my dad around??"  
  
The three of them stared at him a little skeptically. "N-No, sorry, Nemo…"  
  
Nemo looked each one in the eye. "Guys, what's going on? W-Why is everyone acting so weird all of the sudden? What is- Hey, wait, where are you going??"  
  
As Tad, Pearl, and Sheldon rushed off, Nemo swerved around in confusion. He was perplexed to see that the reef was suddenly empty. He looked around. "…H-Hello? Anyone?"  
  
"Nemo." a voice rang out.  
  
Nemo spun around. "Huh? Daddy??"  
  
"Nemo!"  
  
"Dad?" Nemo caught a blurred image of his dad in the distance. "Dad!!" he rushed towards the form as fast as he could.  
  
"Nemo!"  
  
"Over here, Dad! I'm coming!"  
  
Suddenly, as he turned to Nemo, Marlin's orange color paled out into silver right in front of Nemo's eyes. The startled young clownfish came to a halt as the body warped suddenly in a long and large form with narrow eyes and razor sharp teeth.  
  
"Nemo!!"  
  
Nemo screamed as the morphed barracuda suddenly roared and lunged at him.  
  
With a sudden jolt, Nemo jumped up from the anemone floor. Looking around frantically, he only saw Marlin sleeping next to him and the golden tendrils wavering, both completely silent and peaceful. Sighing with relief, Nemo dropped back down on the floor. Just a dream…he told himself.  
  
"Nemo!"  
  
A sudden call made Nemo jump up in surprise again. He looked around. His dad was fast asleep on the floor beside him.  
  
"Hey, Nemo!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Out here!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Here!"  
  
Nemo poked his head out of the anemone and saw his friend Tad floating right there. "Tad?"  
  
"Shh! I'm not supposed to be here!"  
  
"Then what are you doing?"  
  
"I can't sleep!" the young butterfly fish replied. "Where were you today?"  
  
"Dad and I spent the day over at Dory's."  
  
"You totally missed out on the action! Squirt found the coolest place by the Drop-Off! You've gotta come see it!"  
  
"Now?"  
  
"Shh! Yes, now!"  
  
"No way. In the morning. Nemo said flatly.  
  
"But tomorrow's Monday!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, we could get caught, don't ya get it? If we go now, we can get there without getting caught, and nobody would follow us!"  
  
Glancing down, Nemo seemed discouraged. "Well…my dad doesn't want me going to the Drop-Off alone, e-especially at night."  
  
"You won't be alone; you'll be with me! So if we go now, there'll be no one following us, you can come right back and not get in trouble with your dad, and we won't have Sheldon and Pearl slowin' us down! You're the only one that can swim with any purpose! So can ya come? Please?"  
  
Nemo looked at him and thought. After a few minutes, he firmly held his ground. "No." he said. "No, I can't go, Tad!"  
  
"Why not?" Tad teased. "You scared?"  
  
"No!" Nemo spat, annoyed. "But last time I disobeyed my dad, I got kidnapped, remember??"  
  
Tad slapped his forehead. "Good grief, you are SO paranoid! You are NOT disobeying you dad! I already told you."  
  
"…The answer is NO, Tad." Nemo turned and swam back inside the anemone.  
  
After a minute, Tad shrugged and began to swim away, talking to himself. "Oh, well. You'd think after exploring the ocean, he wouldn't be such a wimp… Maybe he's not the hero everyone says he is."  
  
Overhearing Tad's little self-conversation, Nemo frowned. He poked his head out and watched his friend swim off. Then, he glanced back at his dad. After a minute, he darted out of the anemone. "Hey, Tad, wait up!!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
R+R?? PLEEZ?? I promise, I won't let you down on this one!!! 


	2. Surprise Attack

Wheeee!!!!! I did it!! ^^ Here's Chap 2!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Nemo. You know that already.  
  
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Chap 2: Surprise Attack  
  
On their way to the Drop-Off, Nemo told Tad all about his nightmare.  
  
"What?" Tad raised an eyeridge skeptically. "Okay…That's just freaky. Your dad turned into a barracuda?" he asked with an amused smile.  
  
"Not just that! He-He was calling me…"  
  
Tad suddenly stopped and gasped. "Wait!! What if that dream was a premonition?"  
  
"A prema-what?"  
  
"A premonition! You know, like it's telling you something about the future?"  
  
Nemo looked at him like he was crazy. "What are you talking about?" he asked, saying it as if it were a statement more than a question.  
  
"I mean, what if your dream was to really come true??"  
  
Nemo stopped and stared at him. "What are you saying??"  
  
Tad noticed the suspicion in Nemo's voice. "W-Well, um…"  
  
Nemo rolled his eyes and swam along. "Besides, this wasn't just any barracuda; it had this huge green spot on its forehead."  
  
"…That's not something you see every fathom."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
"See, but…I-I mean, what if your dream was saying you were going to see a barracuda with a green spot or something weird like that…?"  
  
"It was just a dream." said Nemo. "A barracuda with a green spot just doesn't exist. It's impossible."  
  
As they finally came to the Drop-Off, Tad turned and swam over to a giant patch of seaweed that was there right in between two brain corals. He motioned for Nemo to follow him as he swam into it. Cautiously, Nemo looked left and right, then slowly followed him in. Once they were past the seaweed patch, they found themselves in a dark and large tunnel, slightly green from the little bit of moonlight that shone through the seaweed that was blocking the doorway.  
  
Nemo looked around. "Whoa…"  
  
"I'll bet that this tunnel is haunted by the ghost of some big eel that used to live here…" Tad said hauntingly, "…and it comes out at night to steal the souls of whatever crosses its path…" He suddenly swerved towards Nemo. "Rahh!" he growled suddenly.  
  
Nemo gasped and jumped. Tad laughed a little. Nemo frowned and gave him a small shove.  
  
When they finally came to the end of the tunnel, they found themselves in a cul-de-sac surrounded by dark green seaweed and an open top. Nemo guessed they were someplace into the open now, past the Drop-Off. All around the place, giant sponges were scattered all over the place. He blinked. "…A sponge bed?" he asked skeptically.  
  
"Yeah, but these aren't ordinarily wimpy sponges! These things have like, mega rocket power! Observe." He raced forward and began bouncing on one of the sponges, which, just like he said, it shot him to a near 10 inches up.  
  
"Whoa!" Nemo exclaimed. "Those are some powerful sponges!"  
  
"See?" Tad said. "I told ya it was a cool place! C'mon!!"  
  
The two young fish began bouncing around on the sponges, having a blast.  
  
Not far away, a barracuda slithered through the water. It quietly looked around and sniffed, hunting around for food.  
  
Unaware of the predator, Nemo and Tad were simply having a grand old time. They began making up tricks and combos as they flipped from one sponge to the other. However, at one point, as they both took a bounce, they collided into each other hard and tumbled back on the rocks. Nemo rubbed his head. "Oww…" A tiny trickle of red mist rose from the bump on his head.  
  
Tad got up. "Uh-oh! Sorry, Nemo."  
  
"Nah, it's just a little bleeding, but not too much." He rubbed his head again, and then the two looked at each other. When they both noticed that the other wasn't trying to smile, they both began to laugh at their fumble.  
  
The barracuda brought its head up at the sound of laughter and the very faint smell of fresh, young blood. A growl escaped his throat as he spotted the seaweed wall of the sponge bed in the distance.  
  
Nemo suddenly jumped up in realization and gasped. "Oh, man…" he frowned. "Oh, shoot!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I've gotta get home!" Nemo turned and swam back into the tunnel.  
  
"Aww, do ya hafta?" Tad asked. "We're havin' too much fun."  
  
"I've gotta!" called Nemo. "I'm in trouble as it is!"  
  
Upon seeing two tiny forms come out into the open, the barracuda slipped behind some rocks and hissed quietly as it prepared to pounce.  
  
Nemo suddenly gasped and froze when he heard the noise.  
  
Tad swam up. "Hey! What's up, Nem--"  
  
Slapping a fin over his friend's mouth, Nemo looked around very cautiously at the surrounding rocks and seaweed patches. Hearing or seeing nothing, he lifted his fin off of Tad's mouth. "…That was weird."  
  
"What?" said Tad. "What'd you see?"  
  
"N-Nothing…" Nemo replied. "…It must've just been my--"  
  
A loud and sudden roar came out of nowhere along with a silver blur. Nemo instinctively grabbed Tad and yanked him back. He heard the metallic sound of teeth snapping and saw the barracuda's jaws barely miss him. He gasped, stumbled back, and stared at it with wide eyes.  
  
On its forehead…he saw a giant green spot. 


	3. A Nightmare Comes To Life

Chapter 3!!! This is where it gets kinda creepy....  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Nemo. You know that already.  
  
SOME OF THESE CHAPTERS WILL BE VERY MUCH LIKE SCENES FROM LBT (LAND BEFORE TIME) I DO NOT OWN LBT, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS DOES. IT IS AN AMAZING MOVIE AND I RESPECT AND ENJOY IT ENOUGH TO SAY THAT IT HAS INSPIRED ME TO WRITE THIS FN FANFICTION.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chap 3: A Nightmare Comes to Life  
  
Nemo stared in terror at the green spot. He pushed his friend along. "Swim, Tad!! SWIM!!!" The two of them darted away as the barracuda lunged at them and gave chase.  
  
Neither of them knew exactly where they were- if they had hightailed it back to the reef or they were farther out into the open. Quickly, they both swam through a crevice and down into a deep grotto. They backed up and panted. The barracuda growled and rushed up the crevice. It lowered its long snout down into a grotto and began sniffing. Nemo and Tad hid behind a boulder as the barracuda came only an inch away from them. It pushed in its snout farther and snorted, deeply inhaling the familiar scent.  
  
Nemo looked around and noticed a long tunnel behind them. He knew that scent was more primary to a predator than sight when it came to catching its prey. So the farther they stayed out of its scent, the safer they were. He nudged Tad gently. "Go." he whispered. The two of them crept slowly through the tunnel as the barracuda sniffed and snorted. They glanced back for a few seconds to listen to it as they swam along. Then, Tad bumped into something. They both looked up and saw what looked like another pair of jaws opened in front of them. They screamed and jumped back. But then, after a few second of silence, Nemo stared at the figure. He sighed. "…It's just a rock." He touched the odd formations that looked like giant teeth. Panting a little from shock, the two of them continued their journey down the tunnel. When they finally came out of the long burrow, they saw that they were somewhere out in the open.  
  
Tad looked around cautiously. "W-Where's the barracuda?"  
  
"I dunno…" said Nemo. "I guess we lost 'im…"  
  
They both sighed, relieved that they could finally get a breather. Nemo looked at Tad and remembered when he scared him in the tunnel. He smirked.  
  
"…GARRR!!!!" he suddenly spun around and snarled in Tad's face.  
  
Tad just stared at him, his eyes half closed. "…Nice try, Nemo, but not likely."  
  
Annoyed, Nemo rolled his eyes and frowned.  
  
Suddenly, Tad's eyes went wide and he gasped as he stared past Nemo. "N-Nemo, look out!!"  
  
Nemo shook his head. "Hah! Nice try, Tad, but I'm not falling for it this time."  
  
"No, Nemo, look out! BEHIND YOU!!!"  
  
Nemo spun around just in time to see the barracuda lunge for him with a roar. He dived down, barely missing it. "SWIM!!" he shouted to Tad. They both took off with the barracuda in hot pursuit.  
  
"HOW DID HE FIND US?!?!" yelled Tad.  
  
"I don't know!!! He must've heard us scream when we saw the rock!!!!"  
  
Tad and Nemo swam as fast as they could. The barracuda made a quick dart for the two young fish. They screamed as they suddenly came to a dead end where a wall stood in front of them. They turned to see the barracuda race up with its bloodthirsty jaws wide open.  
  
Suddenly, a blur of orange came in and slammed at full speed into the predator. The barracuda tumbled back. Marlin zipped away from it and rushed in front of Nemo and Tad.  
  
Nemo looked shocked. "Dad?!"  
  
"Go!" Marlin nudged the two of them along. "GO!!"  
  
But the barracuda was quick to make a comeback. Marlin zipped off to the side and came full throttle towards it. He bashed into the monster again, and then backed up. The barracuda swung its head towards him and hissed. Marlin bared his teeth and rushed to the side, ramming into the monster's body again, this time on its soft underbelly. The barracuda roared and tumbled back, trying to recover again.   
  
Marlin swam off as fast as he could with Nemo's left fin in his right fin and Tad's right fin in his left.  
  
As soon as the barracuda recovered again, he snarled and lunged at Marlin.  
  
Nemo and Tad raced ahead of Marlin when he told them to. They turned and saw the barracuda grab Marlin and shake him vigorously like a dog would to a rat and then fling him into a rock. Marlin forced himself back up and barreled towards him again. It made a quick turn of its head to the right and snapped its jaws again and again, trying to nab the clownfish. As the battle continued, the two little fish swam off in fear. Marlin soon joined them, badly bruised and bleeding some. He had gotten a good nick in his dorsal fin as well from when the barracuda had grabbed him with its teeth. He kept his eye on the killer until Nemo and Tad could make a getaway. He rammed it one more time in the underbelly, sending it back. Then, weak, he collapsed down onto the rock. When the barracuda came to, he growled and stalked towards Marlin.  
  
"Hey!!" Nemo shouted. "Leave him alone!!" The young clownfish barreled into the barracuda's side, merely bouncing off of it like a ball that had been thrown into a brick wall. The barracuda growled and looked, and then it roared and tore after him. Nemo and Tad screamed and swam off as fast as they could.   
  
The barracuda grew on their tails, and then ducked to come up from under and surprise them. It darted up and snapped its jaws, barely missing the two. When it closed its mouth again, it darted up further, and Nemo and Tad found themselves grasping onto the barracuda's snout. Nemo gasped.  
  
Suddenly noticing the two youngsters on its snout and glared. It started to shake its snout vigorously to throw them off, flipping around wildly.  
  
"DADDY!!" Nemo screamed.  
  
A distance away, Marlin quickly brought his head up from the rock at the sound of his son's cries for help.  
  
The two little fish let go of barracuda's snout to get back up to safe waters. Snarling, the predatory fish watched as they swam off. It took a wild snap at the morsels and missed by barely an inch. It lurched forward and snapped again and again. Although it missed each time, it was getting dangerously close by the second. Finally, it lurched forward and opened its jaws, bringing rows of deadly teeth both above and below the two fish. But, before it could snap, Marlin suddenly appeared and rapidly pushed Nemo and Tad out of the way just in time. When the barracuda snapped his jaws again, he got nothing but a mouthful of water.  
  
Marlin, Nemo, and Tad made it up to the safer water. Marlin nudged Nemo and to swim and they raced off together quickly. Tad swam off to try and find his dad.  
  
Suddenly, the earth began to shake. The ground began splitting beneath the fish. They all yelled and scattered all over the place.  
  
As the earth split, water suddenly roared and rushed into the open earth to fill up the empty space, creating a powerful current. Some fish screamed and tried to swim away, but were pulled into abyss as the current swept them off-balance. Even the barracuda, who was about to take off at Marlin again, roared and tried to battle against the current. Failing, it fell back into the current and into the blackness.  
  
Thinking quick, Marlin dived for the ground. "NEMO!" he shouted "GET UNDER ME NOW!!!"  
  
Nemo obeyed and swam down to the ground. Marlin rushed over him and grasped onto a rock, shielding him from the sudden pull.  
  
The water continued to strengthen its pull, testing Marlin's already failing strength. The clownfish bared his teeth as the pull tried to drag him back. His fin began to slip. Then he felt Nemo desperately grab his fin. The poor little guy had seen his father grow weary, and was trying to help!  
  
Then, a large rock suddenly crashed right behind them as it hurtled into the pit, startling them. A giant pillar of rock suddenly burst out of the ground under them, and Nemo lost the grip on his dad. The more the rocks came crashing and the more the earth split, Nemo could only think of one thing at that moment. "DAAAAAAAAAAADDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he was hurtled back into the reef.  
  
As the earthquake continued, schools were divided. Tad, Pearl, and Sheldon were torn away from their families. When the rumbling earthquake finally stopped, the reef was dead.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Man, I am so cruel...... u_u 


	4. It's Hard To Say Goodbye

O-Okay.........Here's Chapter 4...  
  
SOME OF THESE CHAPTERS WILL BE VERY MUCH LIKE SCENES FROM LBT (LAND BEFORE TIME) I DO NOT OWN LBT, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS DOES. IT IS AN AMAZING MOVIE AND I RESPECT AND ENJOY IT ENOUGH TO SAY THAT IT HAS INSPIRED ME TO WRITE THIS FN FANFICTION.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chap 4: It's Hard to Say Goodbye  
  
Minutes later, Nemo stirred slightly with a groan and opened his eyes. It took him a minute to remember what happened. Then, he gasped and jumped up. "Dad??" he called. He looked out over the land, seeing nothing but a lifeless wreck.  
  
He searched for hours. Lightning flashed in the sky above the water, ensued by rumbles of thunder. Nemo called for Marlin. "Dad?" He looked around in every which way possible. "Dad!!" He swam through the wrecked reef, searching behind corals and banding around rocks. "Dad, where are you?"  
  
Suddenly, he heard a quiet and pained moan. He looked ahead and saw his dad, lying under some wrecked coral. He rushed towards him. "Dad!!" As he approached, he gasped when he saw the condition his dad was in. Marlin's body was badly battered. Dark bruises were all on his scales, and cuts showed as much, some of them pretty deep. His tail was torn with a deep gash. Marlin moaned again and opened his eyes slightly.  
  
"…Nemo…"  
  
"…D-Dad?" Nemo panted. "What happened to you??"  
  
Marlin grimaced and grunted. He forced a small smile at Nemo. "…Some afternoon, huh…?"  
  
"You gotta get up! W-We gotta go home!" There was worry in Nemo's voice. "Get up!"  
  
Grunting, Marlin attempted to rise up by swishing his tail fin weakly. Failingly, he grimaced in pain from his torn tail and fell back down on the muddy ground. His bleeding head dropped and sank into the mud.  
  
Nemo whimpered a little. He was beginning to get a little scared.  
  
Opening his eyes a little, Marlin saw his son in front of him with wide, sad, scared eyes. "…Nemo…Look at me…Are you okay…?"  
  
"Yes…" Nemo sniffled. "I'm okay, but what about you??"  
  
Marlin winced. "I'm okay, I'm okay…" he panted. "We-We need to go find a new home…"  
  
"C'mon…" Nemo offered with a slightly cracked voice. "Lemme help you up." He pulled his dad's fin over one of his 'shoulders' and pulled him up slowly. Marlin nearly cried out a shout at the jolt of sharp pain that shot through his tail. Nemo swam forward slowly. "…It's okay, Dad…We-We're together again…" He choked on his words a little. "…E-Everything's gonna be okay…"  
  
They both began swimming through the wrecked reef, trying to find some clear patch of water. Marlin held himself up tiredly, but Nemo could tell that it was getting more and more exhausting with every time he had to swish his wounded tail to swim.  
  
Finally, after several minutes of tiring swimming, Nemo felt his dad slump from beside him and gasped as he collapsed down onto the ground.  
  
"Dad?!" he exclaimed.  
  
Marlin closed his eyes, "I can't go one more inch…" he panted. "…I need some rest…"  
  
Nemo stared at him fearfully as he watched the fatigued figure take breath after labored breath. "D-Dad, you don't sound so good…" he held back the urge to cry. "…A-Are you gonna be okay?"  
  
Marlin looked his son in the eye. The young clownfish stared at him pleadingly. Marlin knew that he really wasn't okay. His wounds were too deep and his body was old and getting weaker. He felt his breathing growing short, and was finding it hard to get the water circulating through his bruised gills.  
  
He was dying.  
  
Marlin gritted his teeth when he felt a jab of pain in his chest. He had felt something like a rib snap under the barracuda's jaws. Most likely it had pierced his gills, or there was internal damage. He sighed. "N-Nemo…" he started weakly. "…I…I-I think that…" His mouth hung open as if he were going to say something else, but he just couldn't bring himself to admit to his boy that he was about to die.  
  
His son stared at him, too worried to move or reply.  
  
Marlin closed his eyes as he felt his senses blur. "…I…I can't feel my tail…" He closed his eyes and grimaced.  
  
Nemo tried to hold back tears. "You're gonna be okay, Dad! I-I'm gonna go get Dory, okay? Just hang on!" Nemo looked up and around at the surrounding debris. Corals were strewn about and the whole place looked like a war had just taken place in it. A flash of soft lightning illuminated the dark.  
  
Marlin suddenly coughed and tried to catch his breath with a couple of quiet gasps. Then, he let out a single breath, slowly went limp on the ground, and fell silent.  
  
"…Daddy?"  
  
A soft rumble of thunder rolled in the silence, right before a sudden shadow of realization fell over Nemo's face.  
  
"…DAD!!!"  
  
The sun shone down through the water as it finally rose. The storm had left pieces of driftwood and all sorts of things strewn through the waves.  
  
Nemo's eyes had become red and burned a lot. He had nuzzled up underneath one of his dad's lifeless fins and cried himself to sleep that night, and when he woke the next morning he was relieved for a moment, thinking it had all been a nightmare. But the motionless figure beside him brought him back into reality.  
  
Once he started swimming, he simply was too centered on his thoughts to neither notice nor care where he was going. He soon sulked into a random, small cave and plopped to the ground, beginning to cry a little.  
  
"Hey!!" a came a voice from inside. "Who's out there?!"  
  
Nemo gasped and jumped up. He eased himself a bit when he saw Gill float out of the shadows.  
  
"Sharkbait?"  
  
Nemo sniffled a little and just stared at him, afraid his voice would crack if he spoke up.  
  
"What are you doin' out here?" Gill asked. He got no answer. "D-Did you and your dad get separated in that earthquake? He's probably worried sick about ya." After a few more minutes of getting no answers, Gill finally noticed that silent tears were falling down Nemo's face. His face softened in concern. "…What's wrong, Nemo?"  
  
Nemo just couldn't hold it in a minute longer. He rushed up and buried his face in Gill's side. "This is all my fault, Gill!" he sobbed.  
  
"…What is, Sharkbait?"  
  
"That barracuda killed my dad and I was the one who's responsible!!"  
  
Gill's eyes widened a little, for even he was struck with sadness at the news. He and Marlin never really were good friends, but he had Gill had always appreciated Marlin's love and loyalty for his son. "…Oh…" he mumbled under his breath. "…I…I'm sorry, Sharkbait…"  
  
"Why did I follow Tad so far away from home?" Nemo hid his face in Gill's body and began to cry again, harder this time.  
  
Gill sympathetically put a fin on Nemo's back. "Hey, c'mon now, it's not your fault." he reassured. "Come on, now. Would your dad want to see you crying right now?  
  
"I-I….I guess not…"  
  
"Not at all." Gill forced a small smile. "C-C'mere; I wanna talk to ya."  
  
Nemo sniffed. "…Kay…"  
  
Gill led Nemo to part of the cave that was a little more lighted. "Look…you and I have more in common than we realize… Listen… I had a single parent dad when I was your age too. He took care of me after my mother died."  
  
"…R-Really?"  
  
"Yup." Gill smiled. "And he was a lot like your dad, I remember. He barely let me out of his sight. Sure, I got annoyed and angry with him sometimes, but I finally understood why he acted the way he did. It was because I was all he had left."  
  
"W-What happened to him?"  
  
Gill frowned. "…Human toxin. It dropped from a shipping boat on our reef." He glanced at the ground. "…I ran away from home. I was so scared and so angry that…I wasn't watching where I was going… That's how I got caught and dropped in the tank. I thought my life as good as over with." He cracked a small smile. "But…heh… But no matter how bad things got...I could always depend on my pals."  
  
Nemo stared at the ground. "My friends probably hate me now. It was because of me that they got lost from their families too." He looked up at Gill. "But what do I do without my dad?" His eyes welled with tears. "I miss him so much!"  
  
"Well, chances are you'll miss him for the rest of your life, Sharkbait. But he'll always be with you as long as you remember what he taught you. And I'll tell you one thing I've learned. It's that we must focus on what life will give and has already given us, rather than what it's taken away from us. Death is a part of life. It makes room for even more life than you could imagine possible."  
  
"But…I…I can't go home now…" Nemo said softly. "The reef's dead. I-I need to find Dory. Dad t-told us we have to find a new home."  
  
Gill stared at him, thinking. "…Okay." he finally said. "How about you spend the rest of the day here, then I'll help you find Dory in the morning."  
  
Nemo sniffled. Then, after a moment, he nodded.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
To DORY THE JENNYFISH, I know you didn't want Marlin to die, but I had thought this story up long before I posted it, and Marlin's death is a crucial part to the story morality and plot. As a matter of fact, I rewrote this chap just for you!! ^^;; I hope you like it now!  
  
As for Chap 5, uh, I'm a little stuck... 


	5. A Couple of Dilemmas

ACK!!! Sorry it took so long, guys!! I got stuck!! -_-;; Anyhoo, this chap has some comic relief in it and a little surprise! Hope you like!! ^^  
  
SOME OF THESE CHAPTERS WILL BE VERY MUCH LIKE SCENES FROM LBT (LAND BEFORE TIME) I DO NOT OWN LBT, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS DOES. IT IS AN AMAZING MOVIE AND I RESPECT AND ENJOY IT ENOUGH TO SAY THAT IT HAS INSPIRED ME TO WRITE THIS FN FANFICTION.  
  
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Chapter 5: A Couple of Dilemmas  
  
The next morning, Nemo jolted awake from another surreal nightmare about his dad. He found himself lying on his stomach on the rock floor in Gill's cave. Sighing, he rolled back on his side.  
  
Gill approached him from the back of the cave. "You able to get any sleep last night, kid?"  
  
"I guess… If you can really call it 'sleep'."  
  
"Well…you need to at least eat something. You haven't eaten anything since…" Gill stopped.  
  
Nemo stared at the ground. "Not hungry." he muttered.  
  
A bit later, the two of them made their way out of the cave and towards the more elaborate part of the reef. Around them, fish were busily trying to rebuild what they could of their homes, but most of them had moved on to try and find another home. Nemo edged a little closer to Gill as he looked around at the wrecked reef.  
  
Some very young fish around Nemo's age were darting about frantically, calling for their parents loudly. Older fish were yelling and screaming out the names of their children. Nemo tried to ignore the voices, but couldn't help but wonder how many of them would never see their loved ones again… How many other kids like him wouldn't have a dad anymore.  
  
Gill interrupted his thoughts. "Dory's gotta be around here somewhere…Where'd you last see her?"  
  
"…I-In her house."  
  
"Alright…You lead the way."  
  
Awkwardly, Nemo swim ahead a little towards the direction of Dory's cave.  
  
But when they got there, he was perplexed to find it empty. After thoroughly looking around inside, Nemo swam out with a confused look and glanced at Gill.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"S-She's not in there!"  
  
"What??" Gill asked in shock. "…Well where is she??"  
  
Nemo began to panic. "I-I don't know!" He rushed up and grabbed his fin. "Well, c'mon!!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Well, if she's not at home, she's gotta be around the reef somewhere! C'mon, we've gotta find her!!"  
  
Gill frowned and scratched his head. "Uh, Sh-Sharkbait…there's…a good possibility that…s-she may have been outside when the earthquake happened and…"  
  
Shaking his head vigorously, Nemo clutched tighter on his fin. "No!" he exclaimed. "She's alive, Gill! I know it! She can't be dead!!"  
  
"Well…" Gill sighed. "Maybe you're right, Sharkbait…"  
  
Nemo pulled him along. "C'mon, we gotta find her!!"  
  
As the two of them swam around the wrecked reef, they suddenly saw a group of fish, most of them very young, gathered around a great cave. They looked at each other, and then slowly made their way for it. Fin-in-fin, they swam up to an old halibut. "E-Excuse me, sir." Gill said. "Hello?"  
  
The grouper looked back at him and glanced at Nemo. "Oh, another one." He motioned with his fin towards the group. "Join the rest; Ms. Carla will see you in a moment and take the boy."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Did you not bring that boy to the Orphan Home to house him?"  
  
"No! We-We were just--"  
  
The halibut interrupted him. "Well, I know he's definitely not YOUR son."  
  
"What? No! Sharkbait lost his dad in this earthquake and… What is this place anyway?"  
  
"Sir, this is the Orphan Home. This earthquake had already bought many, many homeless boys and girls to be housed; and this child IS an orphan, is he not?" The halibut pointed at Nemo. "If you're not his guardian, then why is he with you?"  
  
"Well… H-His dad died from this earthquake and so I thought I should--"  
  
"And the mother? What about her?"  
  
"…Well, he… He doesn't really have…a mother."  
  
"Ah, so he IS an orphan. For your information, sir, it is regulated that all orphan children are to be brought to the orphan homes until they are acquired by a new guardian."  
  
Gill stuttered and tried his best to come to Nemo's defense. The young clownfish was now glancing between the two of them. "Well, he has another-- I-I mean, Dory's a close friend of the family's and…we were looking for her. And I'm sure she'd be more than happy to take Nemo in."  
  
"Yes, well, don't get your hopes up too much." the halibut scowled. "More fish have died from this disaster than you know. And if you DON'T find her, you are obligated to bring the boy back here to be housed if you know what's best for him. Am I clear?" he demanded.  
  
Gill glanced at Nemo, who looked back at him fearfully. Gill finally sighed. "…Yes, sir."  
  
Nemo stared at Gill with wide eyes, and then looked back at the orphanage as they started to swim off. But, he never said anything.  
  
Still, Gill could tell he was scared, judging by how his little fin was now trembling in his own and the look on his face. "…Sharkbait…" he finally said. "No matter what happens, we're going to find Dory. I promise it." And then, with a small smile, "And Gill is a fish of his word."  
  
Nemo just glanced up at him with disbelieving indifference and continued to swim forward. As much as he wanted to believe Gill, he just couldn't bring himself to do so. After hearing what the old halibut said, he was deathly afraid that something bad had happened to Dory. Needless to say, the continuous searching that followed for the next hours didn't help him. Even after searching every nook and cranny, every crevice, hole and cave, it seemed that they found everything BUT a little lost blue tang.  
  
But then, as they were swimming along, Nemo suddenly heard something and looked ahead, just in time to see a yellow tail disappear behind a rock and into a cave. He gasped. "Dory?" he called. He began to dart forward until Gill held him back with a fin.  
  
"Wait a minute, Sharkbait." he muttered. "No telling what it may be. We're not in the reef anymore, you know. You better let me get in front."  
  
The two of them very slowly and quietly drifted into the cave and looked around. The cave was empty, and all Gill and Nemo could see in there were tiny patches of green seaweed and a few boulders, and the ground was a mix of gray pebbles and white sand.  
  
In order to get a thorough look around, Gill swam deeper into the cave. Nemo followed close behind. "…Gill?" Nemo whispered. "Are you sure it's safe to go back there?"  
  
Gill turned towards him, swimming backwards, and smiled. "Don't worry, kid. I know just where I'm goin'."  
  
"But how do you know what's ahead?"  
  
"Aw, c'mon! You think I can't see what's right in front of--"  
  
BUMP! Gill suddenly bumped into something behind him. He swerved around. The figure that he had bumped into swerved around quickly and gasped. She suddenly yelled and jumped at Gill with a scrap metal rod in her fins. WHAM!! She hit a surprised Gill on the head hard.  
  
"OW!!" Gill fell back. Nemo quickly darted behind a boulder to hide.  
  
"BACK!!" the girl yelled angrily. "GET BACK!!" She came at Gill with the rod again.  
  
Gill tried to scramble away as the girl chased after him. She swung the rod at him again and again. "Okay-- OW!" Gill tried to explain.  
  
"LEAVE THIS HOUSE; I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE, YOU PIG!!!"  
  
"Lady, I can ex-- OW! Please, just-- OW!!" By this time, normally quiet and pensive Gill was hopelessly scrambling along the ground, whimpering. "No-no-no! Don't-- OW! OW! OW!!"  
  
Finally, the girl stopped and panted, brandishing the rod to strike again if it was needed. Gill moaned and held his head painfully.  
  
Noticing that she had been hitting an innocent by-passer, the girl's eyes widened. She dropped the rod and covered her mouth with her fins. "Ohh, my goodness." she muttered. She swam up to Gill. "S-Sir, I am sooooo sorry about that."  
  
Gill rubbed his head. Looking up at her, his eyes suddenly widened, stunned by her looks. She was another Moorish Idol with mostly black and white, velvety skin with yellow and blue markings, and her eyes were a deep royal blue. "…N-No, really. Please, slug me anytime."  
  
The girl offered her fin and helped him up. "You're not hurt, are you?"  
  
"No, no…" Gill said. "…I-I'm fine…" He forced a courteous smile at her. Then, he rubbed his head as it began to hurt again. "D-Do you attack every fish that comes in her like that?"  
  
"Oh, no." the girl shook her head. "I'm not like that at all mostly. I thought you were one of those men trying to get me to head north with the others."  
  
"Why north?"  
  
"Well, everyone's been heading in that direction ever since this earthquake. They say that there's a cape up there with a good reef. Everyone is being forced out of their homes to go there. But I can't stand to leave here. I've lived here ever since I was born. You must be going to join them, Mister… uh, Mister?"  
  
"Uh, Gill. But-But leave out the 'Mister' part." Gill cracked a little smile.  
  
From behind the rock, Nemo shook his head and rolled his eyes. It was already crystal clear that Gill had fallen head-over-tailfin for this girl within minutes.  
  
"My name is Angel." the girl said. "So…where are you from, Gill?"  
  
Gill decided to put on a bit of a charming act, so he told a little white lie. "Heh." he smirked. "I believe if I told you that, I'd have to kill ya."  
  
Angel gave him a little glare. "I would like to see you try."  
  
After a few seconds of silence, Gill cleared his throat. "…Right. Heh…"  
  
Angel looked past Gill and noticed Nemo peeking out from behind the rock. "Hmm?" She called to him quietly. "Who are you?"  
  
Gill looked back at the young clownfish. "Oh, that's Nemo. I'm helping him find someone. The little guy lost his dad in the earthquake."  
  
"Oh, the poor thing…" Angel said.  
  
Nemo very slowly came out from behind the rock.  
  
"…Well, c'mere, Sharkbait!" Gill called. "It's okay; she won't bite."  
  
Shyly, Nemo swam up to Gill's side.  
  
"This is Ms. Angel."  
  
Angel smiled kindly. "Hello, Nemo."  
  
"Hi…" Nemo heaved with a sigh and stared at the ground.  
  
"…Are you okay?"  
  
"…I'm sorry; I thought you were Dory."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Uh, Dory." Gill replied. "She's a blue tang who used to be good friends with Nemo's dad."  
  
Angel sighed. "Well, I shouldn't keep you here then." But then she added, "If you want my advice, you'd best go ahead and follow the crowd up to the cape. It's much safer up there."  
  
"Well, what about you?" Gill asked. "Are you going?"  
  
"No." Angel said. "I'm married to this cave and just trying to avoid all the people around here trying to file a divorce case if you know what I mean."  
  
After saying their goodbyes, Gill and Nemo swam out of Angel's cave. Recalling his strict orders, Gill decided that they couldn't head north. They had to find Dory first. And both of them were praying hard that she was okay.  
  
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You can guess I had a heck of a time writing Angel's intro. HA-HA-HA!!! XD 


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